The Flash: Storm Protocol
by TheMisterMage
Summary: [AU, combines the TV show and comics] [Origin story] When Barry Allen was 8 years old, his father, Jay Garrick, sacrificed himself to save the universe. One month later, his mother died while surrounded by a tornado of red and yellow lightning. Now 25 years old, the crisis that killed his father is back, but without a Flash, who will save the universe?
1. Part 1, Disturbance

**CENTRAL CITY - June 21, 2002**

The sky was ablaze with a myriad of colors, painting the magnificent skyscrapers of Central City and casting colored shadows on the ground below, an oddly beautiful sight amongst all the chaos. Shades of red, blue, yellow, orange, purple and many more all rocketed down to the Earth on bolts of lightning, demolishing anything that got in their way, sending whatever it hit crashing to the ground below. Bits of debris rained down, sending people scattering about in a panic, desperate not to get hit by whatever threatened to fall on their head. Mothers clutched their crying babies, fathers held their families close, and people cried out for their savior.

The Flash.

In the blink of an eye, the Flash burst onto the scene, a blur of red and blue splashed against a wall of crackling lightning that singed the air. Everyone cried out in joy; their hero was here to save them. He bolted from person to person, moving so fast that he seemed to be everywhere at once, saving everyone and anyone who needed it. One moment, people about to be crushed by falling debris suddenly found themselves on the other side of the street. The next, lost children huddled against the wall blinked and found they were right next to their parents. Babies stopped crying when, as if by magic, pacifiers entered their mouths.

A bolt of lightning crashed down in front of Jay Garrick, the Flash, knocking him off balance and sending him what must have been a hundred feet. He tumbled against the ground, each strike sending waves of pain through his already tired body. Finally coming to a halt, Jay cracked his head against the pavement, a wave of vertigo instantly washing over him. The world started to spin, distorting into an image that was unrecognizable as it started to resemble little more than a kaleidoscope. Vision swimming about, Jay managed to stagger to his feet, knees threatening to give out at any second. The storm was becoming too much to handle. Maybe if he was ten years younger, he could handle everything, evacuate everyone from the city, but he wasn't.

There was only one thing left to do now. Only one way left to save the universe. Erupting from where he once was, Jay sped off into the distance.

The wind whipped violently under the rainbow in the sky, rocking entire houses and contorting trees into unnatural shapes. Thunder boomed overhead, arcs of lightning trailing to the ground, toppling power lines that erupted into flames. The fire sputtered onto nearby houses, setting them ablaze and beginning a cascade of destruction as home after home caught fire. Even here in the once quiet suburbs of Central City, no one could escape the chaos of the storm.

From their front porch, Barry Allen and his mother, Nora, gawked at the chaos in front of them, unable to rip their eyes away despite the danger. They watched their world come crashing down around them. Their eyes glazed over and their minds, went numb, unable to process the events around them until a blur of red and blue intermixed with lightning snapped them back to reality.

"You should be inside!" yelled Jay, rushing over to his family and pushing them inside.

"Everything just… and then… the sky!" muttered Nora, grabbing onto her husband and pulling him close.

"I have a way to make everything better, Nora, but you're not going to like it."

A wide smile came over Barry's face.

"How are you going to save the day this time, Dad?!"

The boy ran up to his father, a wide smile covering his face. Jay picked his son up, holding him in his arms as he looked into his eyes and contemplated what to say. How was he supposed to tell his son what was about to happen? What if he said the wrong thing? But then he remembered the words of his own father, as elegant as they may have been… '_Don't spend time pussy-footing around Jay. Just do something and deal with the consequences later._' Jay smiled.

"I'm going to do what I always do, Barry. Run _really_ fast and cross my fingers and hope for the best."

Jay held his son tight.

"I love you, Barry. You know that, right?"

"Love you too, Dad."

"Okay, hop down now, daddy's getting tired."

Jay looked at his wife, Nora.

"Tell Max what's happened here. He'll know what needs to be done."

He turned around, beginning his march out the door, though suddenly stopping.

"I almost forgot!"

Jay took his winged helmet off his head and tossed it to his son.

"I need you to hold onto this for me."

Stepping back into the windswept streets, Jay looked around and took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"You were right! There's only one way! I'm ready!"

A portal opened before him, so much power radiating off it that his hairs stood up as if they were trying to soak in its energy. From the center of the portal, which looked eerily similar to the sky, a ghostly man and woman emerged.

"We're sorry, son, but this is the only way," said the woman.

"The Speed Force is unbalanced and threatening to destroy all of creation," added the man.

"Someone needs to set it right before all is lost."

"Come with us, son; you have nothing to fear."

Jay took a step towards the portal, accepting his fate.

**CENTRAL CITY - July 19, 2002**

Beneath the heavy covers of his bed, Barry curled up into a ball, his father's helmet held tight against his chest. Tears rolled down the curved surface, staining the sheets. The hurt was still fresh, a white hot pain simmering in the back of his head that would never let him forget what happened. Everything that had happened since that night had been burned into his mind, the images so clear and focused, unlike, anything that had come since. The sky. The chaos. His mother's face as she clutched onto him, so afraid to let go, his dad's smile as he tossed him his helmet and told him to hold onto it. Barry tried to blink the tears away, but to no avail.

As his eyes began to droop, longing for a peaceful night's rest among so many sleepless nights, Barry heard something downstairs. Not wanting to face the nightmares that would surely come with slumber, he hopped out of bed, feet sinking into the plush carpeting. As he hurried down the creaky wooden steps, a sound came into earshot, an odd symphony of grunts and groans intermixed with the shrill scream of a woman all against a backdrop of crackling. He reached the foot of the stairs and peered into the living room.

Terror instantly overcame the young boy as he laid eyes upon red and yellow lightning surrounding his mom, who sat crying for help in the center of the whirlwind. Anything seemingly not bolted down was whipping about in the air. What was odd though was how some of these objects where moving, as if someone was picking them up and throwing them. A vat of flowers suddenly flew from the lightning, almost hitting Barry square on.

Something had to be done. Quickly, Barry ran back upstairs and fetched his father's helmet from his bed, hurrying back down once he got it. Back before the red and yellow lightning that encircled his mother, Barry steeled himself, putting on his father's helmet, as if he was trying to draw courage from it. With a high-pitched roar, he charged at the lightning, as if he was a knight in shining armor, only to fly back across the room.

Gritting his teeth, Barry picked himself back up, brow furrowed. He wasn't ready to give up, but it seemed he wouldn't have a choice in the matter. Suddenly, his mother collapsed to the ground, blood trailing out her mouth as her eyes rolled back into her head. He tried to scream-something, anything, but nothing came out. The pain in the back of his head grew hotter, beginning to boil over as tears rolled from his eyes.

The sound of police sirens blared in the distance, drawing closer until finally, the rotating red and blue lights stopped just outside the house. Leaping from the squad car, Joe West and his partner, Fred Chyre, took stock of the scene. The window to the living room was shattered and there appeared to be scorch marks around the edges. They heard a soft sobbing coming from inside.

Guns held out, Joe and Fred carefully opened the door, wary of any danger that might still be present. The door groaned opened, revealing a house that had been devastated beyond anything they had ever seen. Scorch marks littered the walls, intermixed with sizable dents and scratches. Furniture was overturned and torn to shreds, the stuffing draping the ground like a soft blanket of snow. Amongst the center of the chaos sat a little blonde-haired boy, crying over a body splayed out across the floor.

"Barry?" asked Joe.

The little boy picked up his head, beet red eyes focusing on the longtime detective.

"Oh my god, Barry."

Joe holstered his gun, running towards the young boy and drawing him into his body.

"There was lightning, _sniff_, red and yellow lightning! Like the storm!"

"Shhh… everything's going to be alright, son. It's gone now."

**CENTRAL CITY - Present Day**

Beneath the brilliant blue sky of Central City, dotted with puffy white clouds, the crowd bustled about, eager to escape the bite of the air that came with spring. Deep within the center of the crowd, a twenty-five-year-old Barry Allen tried to push his way through, desperate to make it towards the crime scene his watch was beeping on about. In his hurry, Barry tripped over himself more times than he cared to admit, apologizing profusely as he bumped and shoved into people because of his clumsiness. Everyone stared at him, wondering how he even managed to walk. Finally, Barry caught a glimpse of the yellow police tape, boldly declaring "Do Not Cross" in big black letters. He lifted the tape over his head, entering the scene of the crime.

"You're late, Barry." said Detective Joe West.

"Oh, I'm… um, sorry." mumbled Barry, fiddling with his briefcase.

Joe let out a heavy sigh.

"Just get to work. We're almost done here."

Kneeling down, Barry investigated the body before him.

"Vic's name is Justice Lavigne," said Joe, taking a knee beside Barry. "Witnesses say that he just… dropped dead."

"Hey, look, right here."

Barry pointed at a lanyard around the victim's neck.

"Look at the end of it. Looks like whatever it was attached to was torn off."

"Probably some I.D. card for wherever he worked."

"Could be relevant to why he died."

"Agreed."

Barry searched through the man's pockets, eventually coming across a crumpled-up receipt.

"Receipt from the S.T.A.R. Labs cafe. Speaking of, by the way, can I take the car so me and Patty can go see the particle accelerator unveiling? It's my turn to choose the place for date night." said Barry.

"Back on topic."

"Sorry, my bad. Back to work."

"Could he have been working on something that caused this?"

"I doubt it. The branch here was just working on the particle accelerator. I got a few friends who work there anyway, super strict on safety."

"Probably just died of a heart attack then."

"Couldn't have. You see his face? How it looks perfectly normal? Well… uh… besides the whole dead thing. If he had suffered a heart attack, there should be evidence of cyanosis around the eyes and nose. And you see here…"

Barry pointed to the victim's neck.

"If he had a heart attack, his carotid artery should be swollen."

"How do you know this?"

"I've been listening to Patty. She loves this kind of stuff."

"Huh… you keep doing that. You know, she's really good for you. Ever since you two started dating, you've been way happier and-"

"Dad…"

"What?"

"Back on topic."

"Right, sorry."

Barry's eyes widened.

"Look…"

He pointed to several scorch marks located around the victim's legs.

"Scorch marks… fresh."

"Okay, so what?"

Barry examined the victim's hands, finding blackened skin and burst blisters, blood and puss leaking out of them.

"These are electrical burns. Dad… suddenly dropping dead… scorch marks… electrical burns… what does that sound like?"

"How you say your mother died."

"What if… you know?"

Joe let out a heavy sigh and placed his hand on Barry's shoulder.

"Your mom killed herself, son, overdosed on a nasty bunch of drugs and her heart just… exploded."

Barry's eyes hardened, suddenly becoming akin to daggers.

"You know that's bullshit, Dad!"

"It's what the official autopsy said. I don't know what's left to say."

Barry took a deep breath, trying to let himself calm down.

"You should inform the family of the death then call S.T.A.R Labs and tell them what's happened. Make sure to mention they have a missing I.D. badge."

The room reeked of decaying corpses, far more pungent than what could be caused by the lone body in the room. Everything was stained with the odor, a constant and unending terror on the nostrils that tried to strangle the air out of your lungs the very moment you entered.

Alone in the room, a blonde-haired woman tended to the body laid out across the large metal table, her hair framing her delicate, yet still very much so beautiful, face. She poked and prodded the body, scribbling down notes on a pad of paper as she did so; clearly she was in her element, her eyes focused like so few people could manage. Yet, there was unease in them, a certain air of distress that seemed unbefitting of such a person. Brushing her hair from her face, a large, exasperated sigh escaped her lips, and she set down her pad.

A knock on the door caused the woman to jump a bit, though she quickly regained her composure as she hurried over to the door, her flats clacking against the tiled floor. She opened the door, quickly becoming overwhelmed with a wave of happiness that manifested itself in an almost comically large smile at the sight of her boyfriend, Barry Allen. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, the pair melting into it as they let their shoulders slump, finally at ease after a long, stressful day at work.

"You excited?!" asked Barry, who dangled a pair of keys in front of Patty's face.

"I'm excited to see you excited." Patty smiled.

"This is a big deal! With the accelerator, Doctor Wells-"

"Hush now, I said I was excited about something, didn't I?"

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Besides, I drag you places you don't want to go all the time. Now it's your turn."

"Hey! I loved horseback riding…"

"Maybe when you were actually on the horse, you did."

"Then thank god I'm much better at driving a car than I am a horse."

"You don't drive a horse, Barry."

"Maybe if you're not doing it my way."

Patty laughed.

"Come on, let's get going."

People milled about in the announcement hall of S.T.A.R. Labs, making small talk as they waited for the main event: the particle accelerator unveiling. Set to thrust humanity into a new age of science. For such a momentous occasion, most people looked bored, leaning against the walls and trying to distract themselves with the various scientific looking devices situated behind glass windows after their meaningless conversations began to bore them. They fiddled with their collars and dresses, clearly uncomfortable in the room that sweltered with the body heat of what must have been a hundred people, only adding to their growing misery.

Barry and Patty entered the hall, suddenly hitting the wall of misery that everyone else had been subjected to for some time. It didn't seem to deter Barry though; his smile still remained wide and in awe of his mere presence in the building. Patty, on the other hand, adopted the expression of everyone else, more quickly than they had in fact.

Suddenly, the previously dim stage at the front of the room blared to life, and a tall man with slicked back brown hair walked onto it.

"My name," said the man, pausing for what could only be dramatic effect, "is Doctor Harrison Wells."

The room erupted with thunderous applause.

"Wow! And I've only just said my name!"

He took a deep breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Central City branch of S.T.A.R. Labs, the world's leader in the branches of medicine, technology, and… well, everything. Here, we focus on the research of metahumans, trying to discover what makes the likes of people like Superman, tick. We hope that through this, we can bring about advancements in all areas of life. Imagine our world running on the Flash's lightning! Or our cars being able to change into whatever shape we want with Martian Manhunter's powers! That is what we strive to accomplish here, and as of today, we have taken a great leap forward in achieving that goal. You all know what it is! You all know why you're here!"

The doctor threw his arms forward and a blue hologram of the particle accelerator materialized above everyone's head.

"Our newly finished particle accelerator! Now-"

His watch began to beep, a blinking red light that instantly caught Wells's attention.

"Ah… would you look at this. Ladies and gentlemen, I will sadly have to excuse myself; it seems my team is running ahead of schedule. If you wish to view the first test, simply make your way towards the viewing chamber."

The crowd began to make its way towards the viewing chamber, seemingly not wanting to miss out on what would be a historic occasion. Barry got up and began to follow them, though he stopped once Patty tugged on his shirt.

"Barry," said Patty, "I think I forgot my coat back at the lab."

Barry shuffled his feet.

"Can it… uh… wait?"

Patty glared at him.

"I don't want the janitors to take it like last time."

"Good point."

"Then we're going?"

Barry sighed.

"Yup."

The sound of squeaking shoes filled the corridors of S.T.A.R. Labs as people walked about, tending to their many responsibilities for the big night. With careless abandon, Harrison pushed his way through them, making people bite their lips as they held back what would surely be a string of insults. Wherever he was going, he was sure in a rush. He came before one of the many dull grey panels that lined the corridors of S.T.A.R. Labs, and looked over both of his shoulders. Trailing his hand down the side, he stopped once he felt a smooth surface, a sharp contrast to the coarseness of the panel, and held his finger there. Once he heard a sharp beep, he pushed against the panel… and went through it!

Harrison's face relaxed as he entered the room. The white walls were covered with large, white bumps, each adorned with a symbol that could seemingly belong to some pictographic language, arranged in what looked like braille, though it most certainly didn't correlate with any of those words.

A large blue holographic head materialized above a white podium at the head of the room.

"Good evening, Doctor A-"

"Someone activated Justice Lavigne's I.D card. Can you confirm this?"

"Yes, I can. Someone attempted to access the Particle Loading Bay using Justice Lavigne's I.D. card. Access was denied."

"Play the security footage."

Off to the side, another hologram appeared, playing the requested footage.

A blond-haired man wearing the lab coat of a S.T.A.R. Labs employee stood before the large metal door of the Particle Loading Bay. He looked over both his shoulders and when he deemed the coast to be clear, he swiped the I.D. card in the scanner. Red lights strobed from the box, but the man didn't panic, like he had expected this.

"Doctor Wells?"

"Yes, Gideon?"

"You asked me to inform you when the accelerator would be activated. One minute till activation."

"Thank you."

The man began to jiggle the scanner, the cover eventually falling off, revealing the wiring and circuitry. He fiddled with it, and the doors opened.

'_That's impossible,_' thought Harrison, '_Power should have been cut to that unit. And how did he get that cover off?_'

And then he felt it. At first, it was a low humming that permeated the air, tingling the ears as he tried to figure out what the hell that was. Then, the ground began to course with a steady vibration, like how a washing machine could rock the floorboards. And then… and then… everything shook with the power of a thousand atomic bombs.

The image that flashed up in front of Harrison made his eyes go wide with shock.

"Gideon! Initiate the Storm Protocol!"

A cold breeze wafted through one of the open windows of the CCPD crime lab, sending chills up the spine of Barry and Patty. The pair searched for Patty's missing coat, turning the room inside out. They tore through the cabinets that lined the walls, rummaging through the array of chemicals and old equipment that had been stuffed in there.

"It's not here!" complained Barry, who threw his hands up in defeat.

"Just keep looking, Barry. It's the only one I have left."

An explosion suddenly rocked the building, shattering the glass window.

The sky tore asunder, erupting into a myriad of colors as lightning began to rocket down towards the earth.

Ever since he was a child, Barry had had nightmares of the night his father was ripped away from him. Even after all these years, he could recall everything in excruciating detail from the way the air smelled like scorched ozone to the touch of his mother holding him tight against her chest. And the sky… so hypnotizingly beautiful, yet somehow still managing to evoke a sense of dread, like the universe itself was coming apart. Now it was back; now Barry's nightmare was tearing itself across the sky. It was just like how he remembered it.

"Barry, is that…?"

Barry nodded a solemn confirmation.

"Didn't the… you know… last time?"

Barry nodded once again.

"And now the Flash is missing and on top of that, the Justice League is gone. What do we do?"

"I-"

It came crashing down from the heavens, a bolt of pure power and energy that found its way to one Barry Allen, just as it had father before him.

To be continued in The Flash #2, Return!


	2. Part 2, Return

**CENTRAL CITY - Present Day**

Power rippled through Barry Allen's body, coursing through his veins and heightening his every sense to excruciating levels. Every shard of glass that scraped against his skin was a white hot knife slicing through his gut. His heart thumped so loudly in his head that it felt it ear drums were about to rupture. And yet, those weren't even the worst parts. No, that honor had to go to being forced to watch the world pass by in slow motion, utterly helpless as he plummeted towards the ground. Bolts of lightning slowly arced down from the sky, inching closer and closer to where they would wreak havoc. Debris hung in the air, their descent halted by some magical, unseen force, as people looked up in horror.

And then the world went black.

* * *

Patty Spivot dragged herself up from the ground, rubbing her eyes underneath her glasses as they adjusted to the brilliant flash of light that came with the bolt of lightning. Slowly, the world around her came into focus, sharpening into an image that made her jaw drop. Barry lay unconscious on the floor in front of her, surrounded by shards of glass and convulsing rapidly. Instantly, she jumped up, rushing over to her boyfriend and pressing her fingers against his neck.

No pulse.

Terror engulfed the young woman, welling up in her throat and strangling the air from her lungs. She tried to cry for help, but only a dry hissing sound escaped her lips.

"Help," wheezed Patty, "somebody help…!"

She paused for a moment, waiting to see if someone would answer her call. Anxiously, she waited, fidgeting her with her hands and twirling strands of her hair while checking back up on Barry every few seconds. Wasn't she in a police station? Why wasn't anyone coming?

* * *

The hairs on Barry's neck stood on end as he slowly picked himself up from the ground, eyes wide and alert as he took in his… unique surroundings. Tendrils of lightning arced through the air, flaring and sputtering uncontrollably as they contorted into different shapes and eventually, colors. Slowly, they coalesced into a quaint suburban house.

A big, blue, beautiful sky stretched on for miles above Barry's head, complete with a sun fixated at the highest point that beat down on everyone below. Trees swayed in the gentle breeze, filling the air with the gentle sound of rustling leaves, though that did little to cover up the cacophony of music coming from people's homes. In the distance, the skyline of Central City wound its way across the horizon, glittering and shimmering as the sunlight reflected off its magnificent skyscrapers.

Barry stood in the middle of the road, wide eyes darting around, and ran his fingers through the mess of blonde hair atop his head. Suddenly, the lightning began to stitch together into a car, slowly taking shape as it whizzed past him, blowing exhaust fumes in his face and filling his lungs with an awful assortment of chemicals and who-knows-what. As he breathed it in, a terrible hacking fit ripped through his body, so powerful that it felt as if his ribs were about to crack. However, curious to see where the car had gone, he steeled himself and tried to get his coughing under control, managing to just barely lift his head up.

The car pulled into the driveway of a house not totally dissimilar from the rest, still sporting the same front porch and general shape. The car doors opened and out came a man and woman, presumably husband and wife judging from the rings on their fingers and the baby cradled in the woman's arms. Barry began to look for a place his hide, eventually tip-toeing to a bush he could peer out from.

Suddenly, the ground heaved into the air, breaking apart into electrical threads before collapsing into an apocalyptic version of the once quaint street.

Barry's mouth fell agape, his heart fluttering and eyes welling up with tears as he gazed upon his newly-formed surroundings. It was the night his father sacrificed himself to stop the impossible lightning storm. The same splattering of colors stretched themselves across the sky and lightning crashed down to the ground, throwing up bits of glass and debris. It was a nightmare… his nightmare, come to life.

"Nononono…" Barry murmured, mouth dry and hands shaking.

Stood tall and proud, Jay Garrick emerged from his home and took a deep breath, shutting the door behind him.

"You were right! There's only one way! I'm ready!"

A portal opened before him, so much power radiating off it that his hairs stood up as if they were trying to soak in its energy. From the center of the portal, which looked eerily similar to the sky, a ghostly man and woman emerged.

"We're sorry, son, but this is the only way," said the woman.

"The Speed Force is unbalanced and threatening to destroy all of creation," added the man.

"Someone needs to set it right before all is lost."

"Come with us, son; you have nothing to fear."

Jay took a step towards the portal, accepting his fate.

In the far off distance, a crimson figure draped in crackling yellow lightning charged towards Jay.

* * *

The stench of Barry's burnt flesh permeated the air of the CCPD crime lab. Patty sobbed as she watched her boyfriend slowly die in front of her. Never before had she felt so… helpless, so unable to do anything at all. Her muscles were frozen and her throat dry and scratchy. Once more, she tried to call out for help, only to be met with the same croaking sound.

But then the sound of hurried footsteps began to echo through the halls of CCPD, drawing closer and closer until finally, the hulking figure of Detective Fred Chyre appeared in the doorway. With speed unbefitting of a man of his stature, he rushed towards the burnt and spasming body of Barry, quickly checking for a pulse.

"He doesn't have a pulse."

Patty managed a slight nod.

"He… um… we came here… I left my coat… and then he was struck… uh… by lightning!"

Chyre placed a comforting hand on the mess of a woman before him.

"It'll be alright. We'll get the labrat to the hospital and I'll call Joe."

* * *

White walls were flecked with blood and sweat as the numerous wounded tossed and turned on the stretchers that fulled the hall of the Central City Hospital. Their moans and screams sent a chill down Patty's spine as she wheeled Barry through the large, glass double doors. In front of her, Barry's adoptive father, Joe, barged his way towards the nearest nurse, illicting angry glares as he did so.

"Nurse!" he shouted, "Nurse!"

A tall and slender woman wearing scrubs whipped her head around.

"Detective West? What is it?"

"My son, Barry…"

Joe voice trailed off as he pointed to the scorched body sat in the wheelchair behind him.

"He doesn't have a pulse!" said Patty.

"For how long?"

"At least thirty miuntes."

"Shouldn't he be dead by now?

"Usually, yes."

The nurse motioned them to follow her.

"We'll bring him to the burn victims unit. Come on."

* * *

An explosion ripped through the air, tearing the scene before Barry into a thousand strands of lightning. Slowly, they began to float into the air, piecing back together with a small "zzt" as they rearranged into something new.

A man in a yellow, metallic suit stitched together in front of Barry, red lenses over his eyes doing little to conceal the rage seated deep within them. His chest was adorned with a blood red lightning bolt similar to the Flash's, but reversed and against a pitch black background.

Suddenly, the man in yellow charged into the distance, red lightning crackling off his body. Barry chased after him.

The yellow man's face twisted into a snarl as he pinned down a man in red. The man in red looked beaten and worn, his face covered with purple lumps, blood trickling from his nostrils.

"You lose, Flash! I! Beat! You!"

* * *

Joe's heart raced as he tore off the tattered remains of Barry's shirt, exposing the crisp and pus-ridden flesh of his chest to the air. His son was dying right in front of him, and he could only watch as the nurse applied what little medicine they had left to the burned husk of the boy he had raised for so many years. With deft hands the nurse applied the ointment, quickly spreading a good portion of it over Barry's chest before her eyes widened in shock.

"That's not right..."

"What is it?" asked Patty, rushing over to the nurse's side.

The nurse pointed to a large stretch of skin previously covered by Barry's shirt.

"It's healed. Healed perfectly, as a matter of fact."

"That's impossible." said Fred.

"And so is someone running faster than the speed of sound, yet here we are," replied Joe.

"Now let's be reasonable here," said Patty, "He probably just wasn't burned there."

"What're the chances of that happening?" asked Fred.

"Not great." said the nurse.

* * *

A barren plane stretched on for miles ahead of Barry, completely devoid of sound, of color, of anything. It was like existence had simply ceased to… exist. The lightning that once consumed wherever he was, was gone, replaced by the cold and unyielding void that nipped at the exposed skin of Barry's neck, sending a chill down his spine.

Barry's head whipped around as he took in the void around him, awestruck by the complete and utter emptiness that surrounded him. But then, on the horizon, a crimson spark flared into existence, sputtering and contorting as it grew larger and larger. Slowly, it began to work its way across the void, exponentially gaining speed, until suddenly, lighting began to tear itself into existence, breaking into an infinite number of strands that started to weave into a tapestry of cosmic proportions.

Stars burst into existence, igniting as the hydrogen and helium deep within their cores began to fuse. Bits of rock and dust and gas began to clump together, forming planets that started to create their own gravity allowing them to trap gases so as to form an atmosphere and eventually, life.

And all this, from a single, crimson spark.

"What the hell…?" mumbled Barry, awestruck at what he was seeing.

He knew what he was seeing, in a way. They were stars and planets and what not… everything that came with space. He knew that. But actually seeing it happen, seeing as dust clumped together to form planets, seeing as stars ignited… seeing that was impossible, not in this much… detail. He felt the heat against his face that radiated from the suns scattered through the sky and felt the dust tickle his nose as it brushed by. There was also the fact that this appeared to be space, but since he was, you know, breathing, it clearly wasn't. So where was he?

A ghostly apparition faded into existence in front of Barry.

"This is your destiny, Barry Allen. To lose everything, only to rise from the ashes to become the best of us."

Was that… a ghost? Barry shook his head. It was far from the weirdest thing he'd seen.

"Where the hell am I? And what the hell does that mean?"

"You're currently in Central City Hospital, receiving treatment for severe chemical and heat burns."

"No, I'm not. That's impossible. I'm… here?"

"It can be confusing, I know."

"I can't be in two places at once."

"Think of it like a dream then. Physically, you're sleeping in bed, but your mind is elsewhere, dreaming of far away lands or flying high in the sky."

"Dreams aren't this… real."

"Maybe not, but this isn't technically a dream, is it?"

Barry sighed.

"None of this makes any sense…"

"Give it some time. All of this will become clear more quickly than you're comfortable with. You've got one hell of a life ahead of you, Barry Allen."

Barry cocked an eyebrow.

"Good to know. Now-"

* * *

Barry woke with a sudden start, eyes blinking rapidly as they were flooded with light. Slowly, the world around him came into focus, sharpening into the shocked faces of Patty, Joe, Fred, and a nurse. Quickly remembering what the ghost had said about his burns, Barry brought his hands before his face and poured over them in excruciating detail, checking even for evidence that they had been burned at some point. He found nothing, just perfectly healthy, normal skin.

"Barry…" mumbled Joe, gaze scanning intently as he examined his son, "you're-"

"Jesus Christ. Must be, given how just a minute or two ago you were on death's door," interrupted Fred.

"You had severe chemical and heat burns, Barry. We couldn't find a pulse from you and you were… convulsing." explained Patty.

Severe burns like that don't just go away. Especially not in such a short time frame. But then again, people also weren't supposed to be able to fly, yet, they did. Was he a metahuman with some sort of healing factor then? Did he inherit it from his father?

A sudden clarity washed over Barry, ceasing his speculation in an instant.

"Is the storm still going on?" he asked.

"It is," replied Joe.

"I need to go," said Barry as he quickly stood up.

The nurse grabbed onto him.

"You can't leave. It's dangerous outside and something is clearly up with you."

Joe pulled Barry aside and whispered into his ear.

"Barry, you know what happened the last time this storm appeared."

"I know what happened, and I know that this time… there won't be a Flash to save everyone."

"That doesn't mean you have to-"

"Yes it does, Dad."

"I… I just worry about you. I don't want you to get hurt out there."

Barry brought his father in for a hug.

"I'll be fine."

* * *

Barry burst through the hospital doors, entering into the chaos of the storm. An impossible number of colors stretched themselves across the sky of Central City, painting themselves on the ground below in dazzling shadows. Every imaginable color crashed to the earth on bolts of lightning, throwing up bits of glass and rock that dragged themselves across people's skin and lodged in their eyes. The masses scrambled about, desperately trying to seek shelter from the chaos of the storm, but among them, a few brave souls worked to rescue people trapped under rubble and move the wounded to safety.

Barry scanned the scene, eyes quickly landing on a group of people trying to lift a piece of debris.

"Who's trapped?" asked Barry as he set his hands against the rock.

"My father," replied a gruff looking man.

Barry began to heave the rock upwards, muscles twitching and spasming with the effort they were exerting. He pulled and pulled, veins bulging out his neck and beads of sweat rolling down his face as the piece of debris inched slowly upwards, painstakingly revealing the grimy and weathered face of man who had to be in his mid-sixties. The man's son reached his hand out and grabbed onto his father, giving a mighty tug to free him from the boulder.

Suddenly, a crimson bolt crashed down next to Barry and sent him tumbling backwards, knocking his head against a nearby wall as he skidded to a stop. Instantly, a wave of vertigo washed over him. The world started to spin and turn and tumble, becoming utterly unrecognizable to Barry's rattled mind. But through the chaos that was his vision, the faint image of a little girl, about to be crushed by a piece of falling debris, stuck out. He had to do something. As quick as he could manage, he staggered to his feet, using the wall behind him to prop himself up.

Time seemed to slow as Barry stumbled towards the girl. Slowly, her expression of terror grew deathly still, her eyes unblinking. The rock, mere moments away from crushing her into a bloody pulp, froze a foot above the blonde curls atop her head. But Barry ignored these things, ignored how time had seemingly slowed around him and focused solely on the person in front of him that needed to be saved. With deft hands, he scooped up her petrified body and carried her away to safety before gently setting her on the ground.

It was then that Barry noticed the scarlet lightning crackling off his body.

"Wha… what's happening?" he asked as he held his hands in front of his face.

Barry flinched as a wall of sizzling white energy passed over his eyes. He whipped his head around, looking for its source, but to no avail. All around him, the white lightning was present, arcing from person to person so fast it seemed to be everywhere at once. Except it harmed none of them. In fact, people about to be crushed by falling debris suddenly found themselves safe and sound. The brave citizens who tried to free those trapped were suddenly useless as the victims seemed to pass through the debris. And most amazing of all, bolts of lightning that crashed down from the sky magically redirected themselves, spinning of to find targets where they posed no threat.

Then, the white lightning slowed, though only for the briefest moment, but enough for Barry to make out the figure of a man at the head of it. He could swear it was… the Flash?

* * *

To be concluded in The Flash #3, Eye of the Storm!


	3. Part 3, Eye of the Storm

**Central City - Present Day**

Barry's eyes widened as he gazed upon the broad-shouldered form of the fastest man alive, the Flash! White lightning crackled off his blue-suited body and his eyes were obscured by glowing white slits, giving him a far more menacing appearance that he'd ever sported before. In his hand, he held a small, metallic sphere, with a thin indent filled with blinking lights that ran around the circumference.

Onlookers' mouths slowly fell agape as they looked on their hero. One year ago, the villainous android Amazo began its rampage in Coast City. The Justice League responded, but the ensuing battle ended with the entire city in ruins and countless dead. Overwhelmed by grief, Green Lantern snapped and lashed out against his comrades. In a move that only proved escalated the conflict, Batman called in the Titans, hoping that the other Green Lantern on the team would be able to reason with his fellow space cop. He only killed him and then proceeded to take on the entire Justice League. In the chaos, the Green Lantern injured his best friend, the Flash. From that moment on, the hero of the twin cities vanished. Everyone assumed he was dead… till now.

"Who are you?!" shouted a civilian.

A small smirk etched itself onto the Flash's face.

"You know who I am." said the Flash.

Just as quick as he appeared, the scarlet speedster vanished in a whirl of white lightning that trailed off into the distance.

"Hey! Wait!" shouted Barry as he began to run after the lightning.

Barry's feet clapped against the ground as he hurried after the rapidly deteriorating trail. Slowly, and without even noticing, he began to pick up speed, not even noticing when the figures around him became a blur till he the flash the crimson lightning that crackled off his body caught his eye.

He was running! It wasn't the action that surprised him, no, but rather the speed at which he was going! A smile began to poke at the corner's of Barry's mouths as a hearty laugh started to stew at the bottom of his gut, slowly building till it bubbled forth in a mighty fit of laughter!

All his life, Barry had hated running. He was always out of shape and clumsy, the perfect combination for drawing ridicule from his peers in gym class as they were forced to perform "Three-Minute-Jogs." But now? Now he felt closer to his father than ever, finally able to run at the superhuman speeds he had long given up on achieving.

* * *

Suddenly, Barry found himself outside of S.T.A.R Labs, about to run right past the Flash, who stared at him with great interest behind white slitted eyes. Barry tried to slow down, frantically stomping his feet against the ground like one would see in a children's cartoon, but to no avail. He crashed into the glowing sign of S.T.A.R Labs, breaking it and face planting on the concrete.

"Ow…"

"Super speed. Takes some getting used to. You alright there?" asked the blue-clad Flash, who held out a hand to the crumpled mess before him.

"I… uh… I hope so." moaned Barry, dragging his pain addled body up from the pavement, "Who are you?"

"I'm the Flash." he answered before cocking his head, "Well, not yet I'm not."

He winked.

"Did… did you just wink at me?"

"Why, yes, I think I did."

The Flash let out a small chuckle.

"If you're the Flash… you know what happened the last time there was a storm like this one, right?" asked Barry.

"I do, and I have a plan so things don't… you know… end up with me 'dead'."

The Flash held out the small, fist-sized ball he'd been carrying.

"This is going to stabilize the Speed Force."

"The what?"

"The Speed Force. Just think of it like the Force from Star Wars but with more lightning."

"Okay… sure."

"Well, time's a-ticking, gotta run!"

The Flash nodded to Barry before he disappeared, leaving only a wall of white lighting in his wake.

"Hey, wait!"

Suddenly, the Flash reappeared right before Barry.

"How can I help?" asked Barry.

The Flash sighed.

"Most of S.T.A.R Labs is destroyed. Help me get everyone out."

"Understood."

* * *

Steel beams and blocks on concrete pressed down on the helpless souls trapped beneath them in one of the many hallways of S.T.A.R Labs. They felt their bones break apart piece by piece, causing them to cry out in unimaginable anguish. Some of the less fortunate had pieces of metal skewered through them that caused their lungs to slowly well up with blood, choking the life from them with every inch.

Suddenly, the hall filled with red and white lightning as Barry and the Flash burst onto the scene. Instantly, Barry's stomach began to turn at the suffering before him and his chest was tight. After all his years of being a CSI, the sight of a dead body had grown to not faze him in the slightest. But this… this was something else entirely. The air itself seemed to crawl with pain. The Flash, on the other hand, was firmly unfazed, most likely from his nearly two decades of experience.

Without words, the pair began to work together in super speed to free the trapped scientists.

"You need to press down and hold, by the way." instructed the Flash.

"What do you mean? What're you talking about?" asked Barry.

"You're having problems stopping. Press down with your feet and hold them there."

"Oh, uh, okay."

The Flash pointed at Barry, a small smile on his face.

"And make sure you don't flinch when you do it."

An explosion rocked S.T.A.R Labs, shaking loose the few remaining steel beams. Slowly, they hovered down to the earth, fated to crush the few remaining souls unless someone intervened.

As if on instinct, the lightning began to sizzle through Barry's veins, filling him with a power so few had known the pleasure of having, and he began to glide across the floor with a grace he'd never before possessed. Scooping up person after person without a single other thought in mind, Barry managed to save everyone from being squashed to a bloody pulp… everyone except himself, that is. In his worrying about the safety of others, Barry had neglected to think about his own, leading him to not even notice when a steel beam hung less than an inch above his head. Thankfully, someone had noticed and the room began to crackle with white lightning as the Flash rescued Barry from the steel jaws of death itself.

Even with his perceptions so acute, so fast that he was able to watch lightning arc across the sky, it took less than a blink for Barry to find himself well on the other side of the hall.

"How did I…? Why?" asked Barry, whipping his head around till he found the Flash.

"You were about to be crushed and you didn't even notice."

The Flash smiled.

"Lesson two. Mindfulness. You may have super speed, but that doesn't mean you have all the time in the world. You can't tunnel vision like you just did."

A small smirk etched itself across his face.

"Unless you're as fast as me, of course."

"And how fast are you, exactly?" asked Barry.

"Oh, you know… I once outran instant teleportation across the universe. With no help, I may add."

S.T.A.R Labs shook once more.

"Come on, we need to get to the particle accelerator." said the Flash.

"Why there?"

"It's where the eye of the storm is. I need to throw this…"

The Flash held up the metal ball.

"...into that."

* * *

The air was tinged with power, tickling your nose and burning down your throat as you breathed in. Brass coils wrapped around the inside of the donut-shaped particle accelerator, serving a purpose Barry could only guess at. Steel grates comprised the would-be floor, laid down in such a way that they lead to seemingly important sections of a metal tube that wound around the entirety of the particle accelerator. Barry guessed it must be the actual accelerator itself, and his guess was confirmed when the Flash lead him to a part of the tube that had burst open.

Suddenly, Barry's eyes were overcome with a blinding light, causing him to avert his gaze as he let his pupils adjust. The Flash, however, was unfazed, staring right into the center of the blazing ball, sputtering and flaring like the sun with every conceivable color.

"Took you long enough." spoke a voice from behind the pair.

A scowl etched itself across the Flash's face.

"You… I thought I kicked you into the fifth dimension." he growled.

Barry turned around.

"I… I know you." gasped Barry as he laid eyes upon the man in yellow, "Where's the man in red?"

"Barry, stay away from him." warned the Flash.

Barry never recalled giving the Flash his name.

"What!?" exclaimed the man in yellow, "It's not like I'm going the hurt the Barry Allen. I value my own existence, after all."

"Who are you?!" yelled Barry.

"The Reverse Flash," the Flash answered for him.

The Flash turned to Barry and handed him the ball.

"Just throw this into the big ball of lightning, understood? Then all this will be over."

"Great idea," the Reverse Flash spat in a mocking tone. "Give it ago, see where it gets you!"

* * *

For years, no, decades, the Flash and Reverse Flash had been locked in an endless war with each other, fighting tooth and nail for some advantage over the other to try and end the conflict. But it never came. And for the longest time, both thought it never would. For every plan one may have had, the other always countered it. This… never ending cycle had worn heavily on both of them, but now… now the Flash was in more danger than he had ever been in before. What if his device didn't work? What if his greatest enemy actually did sabotage it without his knowing? It certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. There was only one way to find out though, and that meant he needed to make sure Barry could throw the ball into the eye of the storm unhindered.

The particle accelerator erupted with a dazzling white lighting as the Flash pinned his archnemesis up against the wall. The Reverse Flash only let out a small laugh though, completely unfazed by his compromising position. He thrust his vibrating fingers into the Flash's side, causing him to stumble back and clutch his wound as he howled out in unimaginable agony.

Reverse Flash's mocking laughter only grew louder as he sauntered towards the Flash.

"The best part about all this is that you don't even know that you've lost."

The cackling devil picked up his mortal enemy by the collar, a smirk stretched across his face, and uppercutted him into the air with a fist of crackling red lightning. As the Flash went upward, the Reverse Flash grabbed him by the foot and hurled him towards the wall. This didn't go as expected though, and the Flash managed to twirl his body like an acrobat and launch off the wall back towards his enemy. The Flash tackled Reverse Flash down to the ground, pinning his arms down with the flats of his boots as he let loose a flurry of lightning-fuelled blows.

Faster than what should ever be possible, the Reverse Flash's face began to resemble little more than a broken mess of bone and blood. His nose crumbled underneath the Flash's fists, blood pouring out his nose and welling up underneath his eyes. His cheek fractured, leaving a swath of purple across his face. And his eye swelled shut and, combined with his broken nose and cheek, gave his face an almost unnatural and inhuman look.

Slowly, a thin smile worked itself onto the Reverse Flash's bloody face.

"You… cough… you lose… Flash."

* * *

All his life, Barry Allen had wanted to be the hero. To be just like his father and protect the twin cities as the fastest man alive, the Flash! But he couldn't. He didn't have super speed. In fact, he could hardly even run at all! His arms were always a bit to far out from his body and somehow, he always managed to trip over his own two feet. In jest, his adoptive brother, Daniel, would say that it took a lot of skill to be as clumsy as he was. So Barry gave up on being a hero and worked to do good as something that suited his skills, a CSI for the CCPD. It wasn't all bad. After all, it did put him on the path towards meeting his girlfriend, Patty Spivot.

Everything was different now though! A few hours ago, Barry was struck by lightning and given the gift of super speed! He could finally be the hero he had long since given up on being. He wasn't nervous at all! Besides, how hard could it possibly be?

Suddenly, the surrounding area began to swirl with red and white lightning, causing him to jump in panic. For the briefest second, Barry's mind went blank, emptied of all intelligent thought as his stomach began to clench and contract. A burning sensation rippled up his throat and came forth into the world as Barry emptied his lunch all over the steel grates of the particle accelerator.

Okay, so maybe he was a little nervous.

'Okay… we can do this. Just gotta through this bally thing into the really bright thing.'

Barry shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

'Don't even think about it. Come 'on.'

With a loud grunt, Barry tossed the blinking ball into the eye of the storm, shielding his eyes as it disappeared into the abyss.

The red and white lightning stopped, revealing the lightning soaked forms of the Flash and Reverse Flash.

* * *

Everyone watched the sizzling ball of lightning with wide eyes, unable to rip their gaze away from it. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours as the trio waited… waited to see how the rest of the night would unfold. Would there be celebration that the end of everything had been avoided? Or would the city being mourning their hero once more?

The eye of the storm held steady.

"Ha!" laughed the Reverse Flash, "You lose, Flash!"

The Flash let out a heavy sigh.

Memories of what his father had done all those years ago began to floor into Barry's mind, spurring him towards taking a step forward. There was only one thing left to do now. Only one way left to save the universe. The twin cities couldn't be left without a Flash. Couldn't be left without someone to protect them. To inspire them. And most importantly, to give them hope. Hope that there would always be a better tomorrow. It was a message ingrained into the core of the mantle of the Flash, and something that, in these trying times, people couldn't be left without.

But then the Flash put his arm out in front of Barry and spoke softly to him…

"No, this isn't how your story ends."

A glimmering portal tore into reality before the trio, crackling with every color known to man. In it's brilliant white center, the ghostly figure of a woman emerged, causing the Reverse Flash to let out a confused grunt.

"But this is how mine does." said the Flash, "Guess it was stupid of me to think I could cheat this after all."

He let out a small laugh.

"I hate it when he's right."

"Don't worry sweety, part of the journey is the end." spoke the woman.

Besides her, the ghostly figure of a man emerged, a hazy mess of red hair atop his head.

"We've missed you, Bart."

"No!" the Reverse Flash cried out, his eyes widening in horror as he looked upon the faces of the ghostly couple before him, "I didn't know!"

The Flash turned to his greatest rival and lowered his cowl, revealing unkempt brown hair and the face of…

"Doctor Wells?" questioned Barry, "You're the Flash?"

A thin smile stretched across his lips.

"Not yet."

"Plase," begged the Reverse Flash, "I'm sorry. Just… don't."

The Flash's eyes narrowed into slits.

Slowly, he began to walk towards the portal.

"Oh! And before I forget! Before you leave, Barry, find the vault. It's time for things to get interesting."

And with that, the Speed Force Storm once more consumed the fastest man alive.

Suddenly, Barry found himself held up against the wall by his throat.

"You… you'll pay for this… Flash," snarled the Reverse Flash before disappearing off into the distance.

* * *

Sirens roared through the crumbled concrete walls of S.T.A.R Labs, easing the worry of anyone who may have needed attention… everyone accept for Barry, that is. In one night, his world had been shattered, both in a positive way and negative. The glee of even thinking about his newfound power still rang strongly across his face, but someone who clearly was not a friend was furious with him for a reason he did not even understand and the twin cities had been left without a Flash once more. And to top it all off, Barry had no idea what the Flash was talking about when he mentioned 'the vault'.

Barry's question was soon answered when a blinking red light began to emanate from one of the few sections of wall that had somehow survived the storm. Cautiously, he approached the wall, only for it to slide open and reveal a hidden room. Peeking his head in, Barry was greeted by the sight of white walls covered in white bumps. Curiously, each bump was arranged in such a way as to resemble braille and adorned with some pictographic symbol completely unfamiliar to Barry.

Judging the room to be safe, Barry shyly stepped in, the door sliding shut behind him with a small zzt.

Suddenly, a hologram of the Flash burst to life before his eyes.

"This is a prerecorded message. Hello, Barry. If you're seeing this, the Storm Protocol has failed and I was forced to sacrifice myself to stop the Speed Force Storm. Saving the multiverse is one hell of a way to go, ain't it?

Regardless, my name is Bartholomew Jason Allen II, but everyone calls me Bart, and, at the time of recording this message, I've been the Flash for seventy-five years. For a substantial portion of that, I was combating the Reverse Flash and his many schemes. One of those schemes, however, I grew aware of far to late. What scheme, you may ask? Spoilers."

Barry's eyes widened for almost every conceivable reason. The Flash had said his name was "Bartholomew Jason Allen II," which would not only make them related, but a descendant of his! Barry was still a…! had done nothing that could result in a child. Plus, he'd said he been the Flash for seventy-five years! That was longer than the mantle had even been around! Barry's mind began to wander towards the only logical conclusion.

The hologram continued.

"But what I can say is that, as a result, I was forced to travel to the past and stay there to prevent further damage. All things considered, I had to adopt a new name, Harrison Wells, and put myself in a position where I could easily monitor things, S.T.A.R Labs. Now, you're probably wondering why I let the crisis in Coast City occur? Aren't you, Barry? What happened in Coast City was not a change to the timeline, therefore, I had no business in being there."

So he was from the future. While it may have sounded crazy, Barry acknowledged that it was the only possible answer.

The hologram kept going.

"Why am I telling you all this, though? To be blunt, look around. The twin cities are going to need a new Flash. To protect them. To inspire them. To give them hope. And Barry, I think you're more than willing to shoulder that burden."

A pedestal rose from the ground in front of Barry, displaying a bright red suit complete with a golden lightning bolt against a white background and a pair of crimson boots, whose soles where the same gold color. Suddenly, the suit seemed to be sucked into a ring that he had not noticed until that point. Barry picked up the ring, inspecting it with great interest and finding a lightning bolt emblized on it.

It was a Flash ring. His Flash ring.

* * *

_My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive! When I was eight years old my father, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, sacrificed himself to save the multiverse. One month later, my mother died while surrounded by a tornado of red and yellow lightning. For years, I worked as an ordinary CSI for the CCPD, but one day, I was struck by lighting and given the gift of a lifetime when I gained the ability to run faster than the speed of sound! Now, I try to live up to my father's legacy and protect the twin cities from those who seek to do it harm as the Flash!_


End file.
